Lamp socket with timing device



Patented Get. 6, 1925.

CHARLES F. NOBDEN, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR '1'0 HENRY HYMAN A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

a 00., me,

LAMP SOCKET WITH TIMING DEVICE.

Application filed November 16, 1922. Serial No. 801,209.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GHARLEs F. N ORDEN,

a subject of the Re ublic of Germany, and

a resident of New Fork city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamp Sockets with Timing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a lamp socket provided with a thermostatically controlled switch so that the lamp will'continue to burn for a predetermined period after the main switch has been opened in the ordinary 1 manner.

My invention will be best understood from the following description and the annexed drawing showin one form of my invention. In the drawing, ig. 1 is a view in perspec- 0 tive of a wellknown type of lamp socket to which my invention is applied, the parts in Fig. 1 being shown with the main and auxiliary switches open; Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. 1 with the the main switch is opened and theauxiliary switch is closed, and Fig. 3'is a plan of the illustrative arrangement on a somewhat larger scale and with some of the parts in a ilightly difi'erent position from that of 0 i 2.

.Eike reference characters indicate like parts in the different views.

In the illustrative form, a-lamp socket of a well-known type having a screw portion 10 with which one of the terminals of the lamp connects is provided with a central contact member shown diagrammatically at 11. The main circuit .is connected to these terminalsin the usual manner through connecting screws 12 and 13, so that when the lamp is screwed into the socket, the current passes through the screw 13 and its attached connector 14 down to the screw socket 10 and from thence through the lamp and the contact member 11, up through the connection 15 and a rotary switch to the terminal 12. These connections are usual and will be understood by those skilled in the art, so that further description thereof will be unnecessary. 4

The rotary switch in the illustrative form, is of a well-known ty which has a fixed contact member 16 an a series of movable contact members 17, the movable contact 1 members being mounted to rotate on the axis parts in the position where.

--v1ded, as shown, with a of the socket by means of a ratchet device so as to be moved step by step, each alternate step changing the switch from open to closed position and back again.

This step-by-step motion is given to the rotary member of the switch byan oscillating disc 18 mounted to oscillate around the axis of the socket and normally held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by a suitable spring, the chain 19 being connected to the disc so as to move it to the position shown in Fig. 2 against the pressure of this spring.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, successive pulls on the chain 19 will oscillate the disc 18 through approximately 90 in the illustrative form, and at each oscillation from the position of Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 2, the ratchet will engage the movable main switch member to move it through one step and to bring it either from closed to open position or from opened to closed position, as the case may be. All of the foregoing is old and will be understood by those skilled in the art.

It is desirable in some locations in particular, to arrange the lamp so that when the user wishes to extinguish it, there will be some delay between the operation by the user and the actual extinguishment of the light. I have provided for this in an extremely simple and economical manner, and one which can be readily applied to existing designs for sockets. I provide a shunt around the main switch 16, 17 which includes an oscillating switch element 20, also mounted to rotate on the axis of the socket and connected through itsv pivot with one side of the main circuit, as through the support 21 to which the binding screw 12 is attached. This shunt circuit also includes a thermostatically controlled latch 22 which, in the form illustrated, is fastened at 23 to the socket and extends in the form of anarc so that the hook end 24 of the latch will nor mally act as a detent to engage the end of the switch element 20. The latch 22 may act as a resistance member, or it may be proresistance wire 25 preferably of German silver and of a resistance suitable for the current to be carried, this wire being wound around the latch 22. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2, the shunt circuit passes from'the main to member 21, element 20 the end of the latch 22 and the coil 25 to the connection 15 and from thence through the side of the main circuit, shunt around the main switch.

Mounted on the disc 18 is a connecting member 26 which is long enough to extend alongside of the element 20 and is arranged sothat as the disc 18 moves from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, it will carry the lement 20 into the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to be latched by the end 24 of the latch 22. This action takes place when the disc 18 is moved by the chain 19 to close the main switch to turn on the light, but, because of the resistance in the shunt circuit, substantially no current passes through said shunt while the light is burning. The disc 18 and the connecting member 26 return to the position shown in Fig. 1 as soon as the chain 19 is released, and on the next pull of the chain 19 which moves the disc 18 to open the-main switch, the connecting member 26 is again brought to the position shown in Fig. 2, but, of course, at this time without any function. The main switch now being open, the lighting current for the lamp passes through the shunt and heats the thermostatically controlled latch 22 to release the element 20 after a predetermined time. The element 20 then moves to the position shown in Fig. 1 to break the shunt and extinguish the lamp, the disc 18 having been returned to the position of Fig. 1 as soon as the chain 19 is released.

It willbe noted that by mounting all of the parts on the common axis of the lamp socket, the arrangement is such that the presentconstructi'on is not seriously affected and that the use of the well-known pullchain type of switch operation is maintained. It will also be understood that the arrangement which I have shown is merely lamp to the other thus constituting a illustrative and that the construction and arrangement may be varied without departing from my invention.

I claim 1. In a thermostatically controlled lamp socket switch for use in a main circuit including a lamp, a switch *foropening and closing a break in. said main circuit, a reciprocating member to open and to close said switch at alternate reciprocations of said member, a thermostatically controlled latch, a second switch element having a bias to open position but controlled by said latch to be releasably held in closed position, a shunt circuit for makingsaid thermostatically controlled latch operative only when said first mentioned switch is open, and a connection between said reciprocating member and said second switch element to close said shunt circuit and to engage said second switch element with said latch when said reciprocating member is moved to close said main circuit; y

2. In a thermostatically control-led lamp only when socket switch for use in a main circuit including a lamp, a main switch for said main circuit having a main switch member arranged to be moved step by step around an axis to alternately close and to open said switch, an oscillating member arranged to swing around said axis and to move said main switch member one step for each oscillation of said oscillating member, a shunt circuit around said main switch, said circuit including a shunt switch element arrange to oscillate on said axis and a thermostatically controlled latch, said shunt switch element having a bias away from said latch and adapted to be engaged thereby, and connection between said oscillating member and said shunt switch element to move said element into position to be held by said latch when said oscillating member moves said main switch member into closed position, said shunt circuit being arranged to heat said thermostatically controlled latch to causeit to operate to release said element said main switch is open.

3. In a thermostatically controlled lamp socket switch for use in a main circuit including a lamp and its socket, a rotating main switch arranged to turn around the axis of the socket, an oscillating member arranged to turn about said axis and to move said main switch to open and to closed position alternately for each oscillation of said oscillating member, a shunt switch element arranged to oscillate around said axis, a

spring to give the said shunt switch element a bias in one direction, a thermostatically controlled latch arranged to engage and hold said shunt switch element against the pressure of said spring, a shunt circuit around said main switch, and including said shunt switch element and said latch, and connection between said oscillating member and said shunt switch element to move said element against the pressure of the spring into position to be engaged an held by said latch when said oscillating member moves said main switch to closed position, said shunt circuit being arranged to heat said thermostatically controlled latch to cause it to operate to release said element only when said main switch is open.

4. In a thermostaticallv controlled lamp socket switch, a lamp socket, a main switch rotatable around the axis of the socket step by step to alternate open and closed positions to open and close the main circuit through the, lamp, a disc arranged to oscillate around said axis and to move said main switch one step each oscillation of said disc in one direction, a disc spring to return disc after each operatisre oscillation, a second switch element arranged to oscillate on said axis, aspring to give said element a bias in the same direction as said disc spring gives Said disc, a thermostatically controlled latch arranged to engage and hold said element against the pressure of its spring, connection between said disc and said element arranged to move said element into engagement with said latch when said disc is moved in an operative oscillation and to permit said disc to return while said element is held by said latch and a shunt circuit around said main switch and including said element and said latch, said shunt circuit being arranged to heat said thermostatically controlled latch to cause it to operate to release said element only when said main switch is open CHARLES R ITORDEN 

